Ever since the start of DC's Dark Crisis event, Nightwing has been positioned as a centerpiece of the story. The opening pages of the first issue begin with words from Nightwing, speaking to the world at the vigil for The Justice League. In the same issue, Black Adam outright suggests that Nightwing is the only person in their world qualified to lead a new Justice League. Even prior to the events of Dark Crisis, during the Road to Dark Crisis one-shot, it is Dick Grayson who Jon Kent goes to for guidance on what to do next if the Justice League really disappears forever. This storyline immediately positions Nightwing as a veteran leader.
Although Dick remains skeptical and hesitant throughout the series about stepping into such a role, many heroes believe Nightwing is the best choice to lead the next generation of heroes. As if the creative team behind DC didn't make this notion deliberate enough, it's been confirmed that, following the conclusion of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, Nightwing will be the face of a brand-new era of the DC Universe.
New teases for Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 (by Joshua Williamson, Daniel Sampere, and Alejandro Sánchez) promise a new DCU, with Nightwing symbolically placed at its center. It makes perfect sense as to why Nightwing would be the center of the multiverse. In fact, it's a notion that remains consistent based on previous stories in DC lore. It's a given that Nightwing is the best version of himself across all realities. This sentiment is echoed in Infinite Crisis, among other stories. Elsewhere, in Nightwing #9 by Tim Seeley and Marcio Takara, Superman explicitly tells Nightwing that if there is one multiversal constant he's encountered across different worlds, it's in regard to Nightwing himself. Be it due to his skill set, his moral compass, or perhaps even a predetermined destiny that stretches across all possible realities, there is something about Nightwing that makes him a key cornerstone within all DC worlds.
Perhaps more will be revealed as to why that is upon Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths' conclusion, but if one thing is certain, it is that this cornerstone is destined now to become the lodestone of the DC Universe. In the same way that Nightwing seems destined to rebuild the Justice League, the multiverse will be rebuilt with Nightwing as its center, much like how key heroes like Superman and Batman have been considered the centerpieces of the DC Universe. It's apropos, seeing as readers watched for years as Dick Grayson rebuilt his own image from being a leotard-laden sidekick to his own man in Blüdhaven.
The journey which Dark Crisis is taking Nightwing on feels well-earned and, for long-time readers, a gradual progression of Dick Grayson's entire journey thus far.
Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 will be available from DC Comics on December 20th.